Little Slices of Death Book 2: Chronicles of a Dream Master ON HIATUS
by Thedragoness821
Summary: Summary: This is the sequel to book 1, bear with me, it won't be following the movies much at all from here on, I have always wanted to take my own path with this universe, so here we are. Sorry the summary sucks, I have never been much good at them. Also, remember this is set in modern times, because I decided to put more time between the events of the 1st and 3rd movies.
1. Chapter 1

_Notes: Okay, I know this story was a little … rough, it had some inconstancies, etc … and I apologize for that, most of my stories start out that way until I get into the groove of the story's universe, and all that._

 _Summary: This is the sequel to book 1, bear with me, it won't be following the movies much at all from here on, I have always wanted to take my own path with this universe, so here we are. Sorry the summary sucks, I have never been much good at them._

* * *

Nancy stirred as the first rays of the early spring sun filtered through the windows. She felt so warm, so … _safe_ , she couldn't even remember the last time she had felt like this without taking a slew of meds. Just then, she felt a pair of arms wrap her in a strong embrace.

"Sleep well?" Gordon whispered into her ear.

"First time in … I can't even remember … that I've been able to sleep this well without taking a slew of pills." She replied.

"Well, it seems as though that we have found a cure for your night terrors and pattern nightmares." He said, his breath tickling her ear.

Nancy turned to face him, her expression serious.

"I have this terrible feeling that we haven't seen the last of Freddy Kruger." She said cryptically.

"As long as we have each other, he can't touch us." Gordon replied as he pulled her in close.

"It's not us I am worried about." Nancy said, a troubled look crossed Neil's face, he knew she was thinking about Kristen, and the other kids.

"Do you think Freddy would use Kristen to bring victims to him in order to gain strength again?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. But as long as she keeps taking hypnocil, he shouldn't be able to get to her." Nancy said.

"If she forgets to take it…"

"She'll be putting herself at risk." Nancy finished for him.

* * *

In her dorm room at NYU Kristen sat at her computer, studying. She had busted her ass in summer school to get her GPA up, and by some miracle, she had been accepted into one off the top universities in the country.

Suddenly, her computer chimed merrily and her SKYPE window opened, startling her, her face quickly melted into a warm smile when she saw Joey and Kincaid's faces grinning at her.

"Hey, guys!" She said as she closed her book.

"Hey, Kristen, long time, no see! So how's college going?" Kincaid asked, it had been months since they had last spoken … it seemed like forever.

"Great! Three more weeks and if I do as well on my remaining finals, I'll finish the year at the top of my sophomore class!" She said proudly.

"Fuckin' A Kristen!" Kincaid said.

"So, what are you guys up to? How have the oil rigs been treating you, Kincaid?"

"Work's hard but the money's good, just got back last night, got three months off before I have to go back again. Joey here just got his third article published." Kincaid said as he clapped Joey on the back.

"Don't make such a fuss, it's only for the local newspaper!" Joey said bashfully.

"Still, Joey, that's great!" Kristen replied.

The three friends fell into a comfortable silence.

"Okay, out with it, Kristen, I know you well enough to tell when you've got something bothering you. Plus I'm a reporter, I interview people for a living, remember?" Joey said, a smile playing about his mouth.

"Have you guys been dreaming?" She asked cryptically.

Joey and Kincaid shared a confused look for a moment, before remembering that Kristen still took hypnocil, so she couldn't dream.

"Just the usual good ones, it feels badass to have total control of my dreamland again." Kincaid said.

"No … no …. Dreams about … him?" Kristen said hesitantly.

"No, you were the key, and since he can't get to you, he can't get to us. Look, I have to go, I have an early morning tomorrow, remember, Kristen, _always_ take your hypnocil, you can't EVER forget, I don't mean to put it all on you, but our lives, and the lives of countless other kids depend on it." Joey said, his expression was one of earnest.

Kristen offered what she hoped passed as a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I won't, I promise." She said as she cut their connection.

* * *

Kincaid's eyes snapped open, it was pitch black, wherever he was, one thing was for sure this was NOT his dreamland, and dread filled his very soul.

He heard distant laughter, the kind that sent a chill down the spine, it seemed to ebb like waves in the ocean.

"Naw … it can't be, we kicked your ass!" He said to himself, his voice cracking with fear.

More laughter.

"Kruger! Show yourself like a man, instead of hiding around in the shadows like some fuckin' pussy!" Kincaid shouted to the darkness.

Freddy suddenly appeared about two feet from him, Kincaid let out a shout and jumped back.

"Awww ... did I scare you?" Freddy said with a chuckle, his hands were casually clasped behind his back. He tapped one bladed finger against another, the sound echoed eerily around the pitch black room they were in.

"It can't be you it … just _can't_ be … we killed you, buried you, and you can't use Kristen anymore!"

Freddy's maniacal laughter echoed around the dream world.

"That's the problem with humans, they are so …. One dimensional." He said as he waved his gloved hand around nonchalantly.

"You should know by now that there is more than one way to skin a cat. I've been honing my game for a long time, bitch, going through your little friend is the _easiest_ way, not the _only_ way." Freddy said as he waggled his razor-gloved finger at Kincaid, who began to back away in fear.

"Ahhhh there it is, smell that? The fear? _That's_ what gives me power. And there is always plenty of fear to go around." He said.

Kincaid tried to run, but Freddy appeared in front of him as soon as he turned around.

"I love it when the little piggies try and run." He said as he grabbed Kincaid by the throat, lifted him right off his feet and jammed his blades to the hilt into Kincaid's chest.

"I … I'll see you in hell." Kincaid sputtered with his dying breath.

Freddy leaned in close to Kincaid's ear.

"Tell em' Freddy sent ya." He growled.

* * *

Kristen's eyes snapped open and she was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread that she couldn't explain. Her phone suddenly rang, causing her to jump.

"H … hello?" She squeaked meekly.

"K … Kristen? It's Kincaid he's … dead." Joey's voice croaked over the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"W … what did you say?" Kristen replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I said … Kincaid's dead, his mom found him this morning when she went to wake him for breakfast. You know what they are going to say, they are going to rule it an unexplained death, just like the others, or they are going to find something to blame it on …. _Anything_ but him." Joey said bitterly.

"Maybe it's better that way, Freddy feeds on fear, the less people know, the less fear there is to go around." Kristen offered.

"Maybe you're right … Listen, I have to go, I have to get to work, we'll talk later, okay?" Joey said, his voice flat as he cut their connection.

Kristen looked at her watch and realized she was late for her first class.

"Shit!" she cursed as she piled her books into her backpack.

* * *

Nancy sat out on the deck at Neil's house on the outskirts of Springwood on the edge of the forest, deep in thought as she took a deep sip of her coffee. For the first time in a long time, she had had this horrible feeling of dread ever since she had woken up.

"Hey, everything okay?" Neil asked as he joined her with his own steaming cup of fresh coffee.

"Yeah … I'm … I just …. Have this terrible feeling I can't shake." She said as he pulled up a chair next to her.

"Freddy?" He asked, his face serious.

"Yes … and no … I don't know. I know he'll never be truly gone, he will always be there waiting in the shadows." She said, just then her phone rang.

"Hello?" Nancy said.

There was no answer from the other end of the line.

"Hello?" Nancy said again.

"N … Nancy?" Kristen's voice sounded very small.

"Kristen? What's the matter?" Nancy said.

"Nancy … Kincaid was killed last night."

Nancy almost dropped her phone.

"Killed?!" She breathed.

"Nancy, what's going on? Who was killed?" Neil said, Nancy held up a hand, asking him to wait.

"His mom found him this morning … it was him, Nancy, he's trying to get to you and I through our friends!" Kristen said as she started to hyperventilate over the phone.

"Kristen! Kristen calm down, breathe! I'm on my way." Nancy said as she hung up and rushed into the bedroom to dress.

"Nancy …! What the hell is going on?!" Neil demanded, having to dodge out of her way as she flitted about the room, trying to brush her teeth and dress at the same time.

"Neil, Kincaid's dead, his mother found him dead in his bed this morning." She said as she stopped to look at him, her beautiful blue eyes swimming with tears.

"Oh, god." He replied as she hurriedly finished dressing.

"Hold up, I'll go with you." He said as he hurried to the closet and threw a set of clothes on the bed without looking at them.

"No … you can't." She said, her words coming out unintentionally harsh, and she immediately regretted it as hurt flashed in Neil's eyes.

"I'm sorry, this is just something I have to do alone, okay?" She offered as she took him by the hands.

Neil let out a ragged sigh. "Okay, just _call_ me when you get there." He said in earnest as he cupped her face in his hands and made her look into his eyes.

"I will, I promise." She said, giving him a goodbye kiss as she hurried out the door.

* * *

"Nancy!" Kristen said, embracing her as soon as she opened the door.

"Kristen, I'm so sorry." Nancy said as she hugged the poor girl tightly.

"He got to him somehow, Nancy, and it wasn't because of me, I've been taking hypnocil since I was discharged from Westin Hills; he's found another way. Nancy, you have to be careful, he can get to any of us whenever he wants! No one is safe!" Kristen said as she started to hyperventilate again.

"Kristen, Kristen, please! Why don't you lie down?" Nancy said as she helped the distraught girl to bed.

"Will you stay with me, in case I fall asleep?" She pleaded.

"Of course, Kristen, I'll be right here." She replied as she brushed a lock of hair out of Kristen's eyes and offered her a reassuring smile.

Kristen was sound asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, poor kid. Nancy made herself some tea and pulled up a chair next to Kristen's bed, she dug into her purse for her phone, suddenly remembering she had promised to call Neil.

She smiled to herself as he picked up on the first ring.

"Nancy!" His voice sounded relieved.

"I'm sorry I took so long to call you, Kristen was pretty distraught and it took me a while to get her settled down. She's sleeping now."

"How are _you_ doing, Nancy. You sound exhausted." Neil said, worry was evident in his voice.

"I'm fine, I'm still feeling a little off, probably from the stress." Nancy said, unable to keep the weariness out of her voice.

"Nancy, I'm coming over." Neil said, the tone of his voice told her that protesting would be for naught, Nancy blew out a sigh.

"See you when you get here, and be _careful_!" She said, as she hung up, she turned her attention back to Kristen, who was still sleeping soundly, a restful look on her young face.

* * *

Joey struggled to stay awake at his computer, he was dead on his feet, he had been up for the last sixteen hours, pulling double shifts at the paper, trying to make ends meet. He caught himself dozing again and patted his face roughly.

"Come on … Joey!" He said angrily to himself as he shook his head vigorously.

"What's the matter, Joey? Gonna miss your deadline?" a voice growled into his ear.

Joey let out a shout and whirled around in his chair, he began to panic as he saw he was no longer in his apartment.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Joey repeated over and over again, his heart was pounding so hard that it could probably be heard in the silence of wherever he was. Disembodied laughter echoed around him, Joey whirled around in an endless dizzying circle, trying to find the source.

"Ahhhh Joey … long time, no see, you look good." Joey whirled around to see Freddy standing in front of him, he opened his mouth, but no sound would come out.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" He growled.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Joey bellowed, using his dream power and sending a blast of sound waves at Freddy, who shielded himself as he was blasted back.

Joey didn't wait around, he turned to run … and ran smack into Freddy.

"Your cheap little party trick isn't gonna work this time, Joey." He said as cupped the side of Joey's face with his bladed hand.

"Normally I like to play with my food before I eat it, but I have more …. Pressing matters to attend to." Freddy said as he slit poor Joey's throat from ear to ear in one cruel swipe of his blades and threw him aside like trash.

* * *

Kristen slowly opened her eyes, she sat up in bed and suddenly realized that she was alone in her apartment. She suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her name, she recognized it as Joey's.

"Joey? Is that you?" Kristen said as she slowly got out of bed.

Joey materialized in front of her, holding his hands over his neck, blood seeped through his fingers and dripped onto the floor.

"K … Kristen … it's Freddy …. He's … back." Joey choked out as his apparition dissolved before her eyes and was replaced with Freddy's. Kristen let out a shriek and jumped back, she remembered now, she had forgotten to take her hypnocil before she had passed out.

"SOMEONE PLEASE WAKE ME UP!" she screamed as she shrank away from him.

"Why don't you call on one of your little friends, Kristen?" Freddy said as he slowly advanced on her.

"Never!" She replied as she stood to face him.

"If you're going to kill me, just go ahead and do it, I am not helping you get your victims anymore!" Kristen said.

"Joke's on you, bitch, I don't _need_ you anymore." He said as he pinned her to the bed and buried his blades in her abdomen.

* * *

"Nancy, you look exhausted, why don't you take a rest, I'll watch over Kristen." Neil said as Nancy rubbed her eyes wearily, she realized that she had been awake for over twenty hours. She opened her mouth to answer him when Kristen suddenly started to convulse in her sleep.

"Help me!" Nancy cried as they ran to her bedside.

"Kristen! Wake up!" Nancy shouted as she shook her.

Kristen's eyes suddenly opened and her hands gripped Nancy's arms painfully.

"N … Nancy … Freddy he's …. He's back. Hypnocil … doesn't work …. Found … another way… it's you … Nancy … your …" She trailed off as the last of her breath left her and she died in Nancy's arms.

* * *

Nancy watched the coroner wheel Kristen's body out on a gurney, a cup of hot tea held in her trembling hands as a detective who introduced himself as Collins approached her.

"Ma'am, I am very sorry to have to ask you at a time like this, but can you go over for us again exactly what happened?" Nancy took a deep breath, she wasn't about to tell this cop that it was Freddy Kruger that killed Kristen, so she told him the same story she had been telling the police since they arrived.

"Like I told the other cops, she just … died in her sleep." Nancy said.

"A seemingly young, healthy girl dies in her sleep." Detective Collins said, the disbelief was evident in his voice.

"I think we are finished answering any questions without a lawyer present." Neil said as he came to stand beside Nancy and put his arm protectively around her shoulders.

"Forgive me for saying so, Doctor Gordon, but it will be better for the both of you if you cooperate with us." The detective said.

"I thought that's what we were doing." Neil replied as he held the officer's gaze with a hard one of his own.

Detective Collins blew out an exasperated sigh and dug into hisinside jacket pocket.

"Here's my card, if either of you remember anything, please give me a call." He said as he and the other officers started to slowly file out of Kristen's apartment.

"Nancy, why don't we go home, there is nothing more we can do here." Neil said.

Nancy blew out a weary sigh, sadly, he was right; they were walking toward the door when the room suddenly started pitching violently. The last thing Nancy remembered before everything went black, was Neil's frantic voice calling her name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Notes: Bear with me here, because it's about to get pretty AU. Also, sorry for the wait, RL got super busy for a while, there._

* * *

Nancy came to surrounded by darkness, she strained, trying to see through it, she wasn't alone, she could feel someone else there.

"Neil?"

"You're little boyfriend can't help you now, Nancy." A chillingly familiar voice said from somewhere in the darkness.

"Kruger! At least have the balls to show yourself!" Nancy cried into the darkness, her words didn't come out as confident as she would have liked.

Kruger appeared about three feet from her, he flashed her a gruesome smile as he tipped his hat to her.

"How'd you get to them, Kruger, tell me!" Nancy demanded.

"Oh you know ... like the old saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat." Freddy growled as slowly began to close the distance between them.

"Spill it, you son of a bitch!" Nancy demanded.

Then, suddenly she felt a pulling sensation, and a light appeared at the end of the dark place they were in.

"You'll find out soon enough." Freddy chuckled as Nancy found herself being yanked towards the bright light, as if by unseen hands.

* * *

"Miss Thompson, we are glad to have you back with us; everything is going to be okay. My name is Doctor Hammon, and you are in the hospital." An unfamiliar voice said.

Nancy immediately tried to sit up.

"Easy, there Miss Thompson, we don't want you fainting again." Doctor Hammon said as he and Neil helped her slowly swing her legs over the side of the hospital bed.

"What … what happened?" Nancy asked, her head still swimming.

"You passed out; not to worry my dear, feeling faint is quite common, you just need to be careful about moving, or standing too quickly. I am however, happy to inform you that everything seems to be normal so far, but I just want to run a few more tests just to be sure. Congratulations to you both." Doctor Hammon said with a warm smile.

"Congratulations ... ?" Nancy said as she and Neil shared a look of confusion.

"Why, yes, Miss Thompson, you're pregnant." Doctor Hammon said cheerfully, as though it should be the best news they had ever heard.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the three of them.

"Well, I will leave you for now, as it seems that you have some things to discuss." Doctor Hammon said as he excused himself.

"Pregnant?! Oh god!" Nancy said as she buried her face in her hands.

"Are you kidding?! That's great!" Neil said excitedly.

"Oh god how am I supposed to protect an innocent child when I can barely even protect myself!" Nancy said, her eyes shining with tears as she ran her hands through her long, thick hair.

"You're coming home with me, Nancy while we figure out what to do." Neil said, his expression told her this was not up for negation.

Nancy blew out a sigh. "Alright, let's go." She said flatly, she was too tired and stressed to argue about it, anyway.

* * *

Neil pulled into his driveway, his car's tires crunching softly on the gravel. He got out and hurried around to her side and helped her out.

"Neil, I'm pregnant, it's not like I have a terminal disease or anything." Nancy said dryly, attempting humor but she instantly regretted it when she saw the hurt flash across Neil's face.

"I'm sorry, Neil, I didn't mean it like that." She said as she put her hand in his and allowed him to help her out of his car and into the house.

"You just sit back and relax, I'll get dinner started." Neil said as he escorted her to the couch and made sure she sat down; as he turned back toward the kitchen Nancy grabbed ahold of his jacket and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"God, Nancy … you're killing me here." he said as he sank down on the couch next to her and kissed her with equal passion, they only parted when the need for air finally became impossible to ignore.

"Nancy … we shouldn't be doing this." He said, his voice wavering as he barely held onto his resolve in wake of his desire for her … but as he reminded himself, it was desire that had gotten them into this mess to begin with.

Nancy smiled wryly at him as she put her hand on her stomach. "It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

"Well … I meant that we shouldn't … because of your … condition. Experts say that a woman should abstain from sex in the first few weeks of pregnancy." He said, blushing as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You've been reading." Nancy said, smiling as a warm fuzzy feeling swelled inside of her; he was trying so hard to do the right thing.

"Neil, we aren't married or anything, you don't have any obligations to this." Nancy said, an indiscernible look crossed Neil's face for a split second before his expression hardened as he took her hands in his.

"I'm not sticking around simply because of obligation to this baby, although that _is_ part of it, I'm staying because I _want_ to. I have always put everything I had into my career, and the patients in my care. That didn't leave much time for a relationship so I guess I just … put the hope that I would ever have a family out of my mind. Then this happened … sure … it didn't happen in the _conventional_ way, but that doesn't mean I regret it." He said, tears pricked the edges of Nancy's eyes as leaned forward and kissed him again, surprising him.

A growl rumbled deep within Neil's throat as his surprise quickly turned to desire and passion, he pulled her against him and returned her kiss with a passionate one of his own. He couldn't help himself, her love had been the lightning strike that had set his soul on fire, and now there was no putting it out.

"You are making me crazy, you know that?" He whispered, his voice husky with desire.

"Not any more than you do me." She replied as she kissed him again.

Neil could feel it again, the fire in his soul threatening to become an inferno again and he forced himself out of Nancy's embrace.

"Look … someone has to have _some_ self-control here … and I guess that is going to have to be me." Neil said, a playful grin played about his mouth as he looked at his watch.

"It's getting late, I'd better start dinner anyway." He said as kissed her one final time, careful not to be ensnared by her spell again before excusing himself to the kitchen.

* * *

"Wow, Neil, this looks GREAT!" Nancy said as he pulled out her chair for her and they sat down to a wonderful dinner of spaghetti with homemade sauce and garlic bread.

"Well … when you've been a bachelor as long as I have, you pick up a few things; especially when you are a poor college student and you have to make food go further." He said with a dry laugh.

"Yeah, but poor didn't last very long for you before you wrote your first bestseller." Nancy pointed out as she took a bite of her spaghetti.

"Lucky first break." Neil said as he smiled bashfully.

"Neil I wish you could see what an _asset_ your books have been to our field. " Nancy said as she put her hand over his.

"Enough shop talk, we haven't discussed names." He said.

"Names?" She echoed as she raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yes, names … for the baby." He said with a proud grin, Nancy laughed in spite of herself.

"We have nine months to think about that, you know." She said.

"True but nine months is going to go by faster than you realize." He replied.

"We don't even know if it's going to be a boy, or a girl yet, though." Nancy pointed out.

"We can make a list for both, then narrow it down as time goes." He replied as they finished up dinner.

"Here, let me help you wash the dishes." She said as she stood and gathered her plates.

"It's okay, I have a dishwasher." He said quickly.

"You still have to rinse them before you put them in, and it's the least I can do, you did everything else. Plus the pots you cooked the pasta and the sauce in are too big for the dishwasher, anyway, so I can wash those." She said as she stacked her plates and carried them to the kitchen.

"We're also going to have to make a list of what to buy, so we aren't scrambling for anything once the baby gets here." Neil was saying.

But Nancy wasn't listening; Neil's voice suddenly sounded like he was talking at her from the end of a long tunnel.

"What do you think?" he said as he turned to her just in time to catch her as she fainted, the plates she was holding slipped from her hands and shattered as they hit the kitchen's stone floor.

* * *

Nancy came to and sat bolt upright, her heart pounding in her ears. She found herself in a dark hospital room, wearing a gown.

The door to her room slowly opened and a small boy came in, he couldn't have been more than five years old.

"Hi." Nancy smiled at the boy, who smiled shyly in return.

"I'm Nancy, what's your name?"

"Atticus." The boys said.

"Atticus … I always liked that name." She said, a small silence fell between them.

"So, where's your mother?" The boy shrugged as his expression grew sad.

"I don't think my mother cares about me very much." He replied sadly.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true." She said, suddenly, the lights in the hospital began to flicker, the boy looked all around him, his expression had turned to one of terror.

"We have to go!" He said as he darted out the door.

"No! wait!" She called after him, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped off to follow him … but her feet didn't hit the floor, they kept going and she fell for what seemed like an eternity through an inky blackness before meeting rudely with a hard surface below.

She slowly stood on shaky legs and grimaced as rubbed her arm and shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the impact with the hard floor. She was once again clad in the clothes she had been wearing when she fainted.

She also had a feeling that she wasn't alone, but it wasn't a threatening presence. She smiled when the small boy appeared out of the shadows, still dressed in the same hospital gown he was wearing before.

"Where are we?" She asked him.

"In a place where he can't get us." He said, cold dread washed over Nancy, she knew the boy was talking about Kruger.

"What is this place?" She asked the boy.

"It's my safe place, but I won't be able to stay here much longer, soon I'll have to leave." He said.

"Why will you have to leave?" Nancy asked.

The boy shrugged. "I dunno, I just have to."

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and the next thing Nancy knew, she was staring up at the ceiling of Neil's bedroom, she tried to sit up.

"Easy, Nancy, you don't want to faint again." he said as he helped her slowly sit up, she looked out the window and saw that it was dark outside.

"W … what time is it?" She said as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Just after midnight." Neil replied. Just then, the clouds moved off the full moon, bathing the entire room in eerie, pale light. Her heart broke as she saw the worry and the stress etched deep in Neil's face, making him look ten years older than he really was.

"I'm sorry Neil, I should've never brought you into this …"

"We already had this discussion, I'm here because _want_ to be, remember?" He cut her off.

"No ... I meant ... I never should have gotten involved with you in the first place ... _look_ at you, the stress, the worry, it's not good for you, and not you're stuck with me and this baby." She said as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't you worry about me, I'm tough, I can handle it." He said with a wink.

"Now, how about we try to get some shut eye?" He said, she snuggled against him and sighed in contentment as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I want you to know that despite everything that's happened, I don't regret this for a second. And I'm here for you _and_ our baby, Nancy and I will protect both of you, with my life if it comes to that." He said as he kissed the top of her head and tightened his embrace around her.

Nancy didn't have to ask if he meant it, she knew he did … and that is what scared her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Nancy awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows, she didn't dream last night and she thanked god for that. She sat up and stretched, feeling rested and clear headed. She got dressed and made the bed, humming happily to herself.

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood this morning." She heard Neil's voice say from the doorway, she smiled as she smoothed the duvet, fluffed the decorative pillows and placed them on the bed.

"I slept really well last night, I didn't dream at all … it was nice, especially since I can't take hypnocil anymore." She replied as he walked around the bed to her and offered her a fresh cup of tea.

"No coffee?" She asked in playful disappointment.

"You're not supposed to have caffeine." He replied with a grin.

"The literature on how caffeine affects fetal development is very conflicting." She quipped.

"Yeah well … I'm erring on the side of caution." He replied as he handed her the cup of tea and motioned to the patio.

"So … this is the last day of our leave." She said as they sat, enjoying the quiet serenity of nature.

"I can't believe Simms gave us another week, especially after everything that's happened." Neil said, horror suddenly spread across Nancy's face.

"Oh god, Neil you didn't tell her …."

"No, of course not! You know Simms, she'd fire us both." He said with a laugh.

"That's something else we need to discuss, because obviously, I am not going to be able to hide this for long." Nancy said as she gestured to her stomach.

"Yeah … I don't have an answer for that, yet. How about … we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, as my mother used to say. But really, it's _your_ private business, and you aren't entitled to give anyone an explanation." He replied.

Nancy sat back in her chair, he had a point, technically, what she did on her own time was her business.

"Alright, if no one asks, we won't tell." She agreed.

* * *

Nancy, Neil, I hate to swamp you both on your first day back, but we have been overloaded with patients here." Simms said as she fell into step with them and handed them each a stack of paperwork.

Nancy opened the file at the top of the stack.

"Candice Perkins fifteen, severe insomnia." She read to herself as she reached the elevators and mindlessly pressed the 'up' button without taking her eyes off the file.

Nancy entered room four twenty three and found he young girl huddled in the corner of her bed against the wall, clutching her knees to her chest.

"Hello there, Candice, I'm Doctor Thompson, but you can call me Nancy if you like." Nancy said as she slowly walked into the room, careful to keep her body language and tone non-threatening.

"May I sit?" She asked, when the girl didn't speak, she slowly sat in a chair by the bed, careful not to take her eyes off the unstable teen. Poor girl, she looked like she hadn't slept well in weeks, she had dark circles under her eyes, her skin had a pale, pasty look to it and she was also very thin.

"Would you like to tell me why you haven't been sleeping?" Nancy said as she dug a notepad out of her bag.

"I don't have to tell you shit!" Candice spat venomously.

"True, but if you don't talk to us we can't help you, and the longer you resist help, the longer you're going to have to stay here." Nancy replied in a casual tone, without looking up from her notepad.

"What makes you think I _want_ your help? Do you think you're the first shrink I've seen? Do you think this is the first loony bin I have been to?" She retorted.

"Well, obviously something is going on if you keep ending up in places like this." Nancy replied gently.

"I keep ending up here because no one will _listen_ to me! They _think_ I'm nutso and maybe I am … but that doesn't mean what's happening to me isn't real!" Candice replied.

Nancy's interest was piqued, she had a terrible feeling she already knew what was wrong with this girl. "Okay … so what is happening to you?" She said.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Candice replied bitterly as she averted her eyes to the plain laminate floor.

"Try me." Nancy replied.

* * *

"Neil, all these kids who have been admitted are experiencing severe insomnia, vivid pattern nightmares, and night terrors." Nancy said as they looked over the patients' medical files in Neil's office over their lunches.

"You don't think it's … _him_ again … do you?" Neil said.

"What else could it be?" Nancy replied.

"I thought we beat him?"

"He can never truly be beaten, he's the embodiment of pure evil, for lack of a better way to put it. I think how it works, is for good to exist, there must also be evil to balance everything out." Nancy explained.

"So if Freddy is in evil's corner, who's in ours?" Neil asked.

"That would be me." Nancy said with an air of pride.

"You can't be serious!" he replied.

"I am the dream master; it's my obligation to protect kids and their dreams, and to keep Freddy in check." Nancy said.

"You've got to be crazy! You're in no condition to be fighting anyone!" Neil exclaimed as Nancy looked at her watch and stood, gathering her papers.

It's not like I have any say in the matter, I was chosen by … whatever supreme deity might be up there I guess." She said as she glanced up at the ceiling.

"Besides honey, like I said before, I'm _pregnant_ , it's not like I have a terminal disease or anything." She said as she smiled warmly at him.

"Yeah but … wait a minute … did you just call me … _honey_?" He said, Nancy couldn't help but giggle at his hilarious, disbelieving expression.

"Well … you _are_ my honey … _aren't_ you?" She purred as she stepped around his desk towards him.

Neil swallowed hard as he pulled at his tie and collar; his clothes suddenly felt tight and constricting as it suddenly felt like the temperature in his office had gone up twenty degrees.

"N- Nancy we shouldn't be doing this … we're … at work." He stuttered as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"True, but we're at lunch, and lunch is our time." She said as she pressed her lips to his.

He could feel it again, the animal that was his desire clawing at his insides, demanding that he give in.

"Nancy … we shouldn't … someone might catch us." He said, barely holding onto his resolve as their kisses became more feverish.

Neil couldn't control the animal any longer, and before he knew what he was doing, he was pushing Nancy up against the front of his desk and ravaging her mouth with his.

A sudden knock at his office door broke them apart.

"We'll have to finish _this_ later." Nancy whispered into his ear, thus causing Neil's breath to catch in his throat. She pulled back from him with a catlike grin; she loved the effect she had on him, because it felt so _good_ to be wanted and to feel desirable again. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this with … _or_ about a man.

Neil stood there with his eyes screwed shut for a moment, composing himself before walking over to the door. "You really know how to torture a guy, don't you?" He said, though his eyes held an amused glint in them, along with anticipation of what was to come later, when they were finally off the clock.

"Doctor Sims!" He croaked as he hastily cleared his throat, Nancy stifled a laugh.

"I am sorry to interrupt your lunch, but we have a problem." Simms said, taking a moment to give them both a shrewd once over before motioning them both to follow her.

Nancy and Neil heard the commotion as they got off the elevator, they entered the room after Simms to see three orderlies struggling to hold down one of the kids, it was Candice, the girl Nancy had spoken with before lunch.

"She was in the throes of a nightmare, Max found her on bed check, I still don't know how she managed to do this to herself. You both know the kids aren't allowed sharp objects of any kind." Simms said as she pointed to the deep slashes across the poor girl's arm.

"Oh my god!" Nancy said as she approached the struggling girl.

"Candice! It's Nancy! You're awake now, everything's fine, he's gone!" she shouted over the commotion as she took the girl's face in her hands.

"No! it's not fine! It'll never be fine! Every time I fall asleep he's waiting for me! This time, he almost killed me!" Candice sobbed as she collapsed against Nancy's shoulder.

"Doctor Simms, I would like to try the same treatment we did with the other kids, I think we saw some real progress." Neil said, except this time, his request had an authoritative air to it, and he looked Simms dead straight in the eye.

Simms considered him for a moment before deferring to him and Nancy's experience with kids with these kinds of issues.

"Very well then." She said as she turned on heel and left without another word.

"Damn! You go, Doc! If you keep going like that, soon you'll be runnin' this hospital!" Max exclaimed.

"Well … I wouldn't say _that_." Neil said with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Well … I happen to think that _'Doctor Neil Gordon, Administrator of Westin Hills'_ has quite a nice ring to it." Nancy said, it was meant as a casual compliment, but she was unable to keep the saucy undertone entirely out of her voice.

Their attraction to one another was like a living, breathing thing that couldn't be controlled, and although Max noticed, he didn't call them on it.

Nancy walked cautiously up to the still terrified girl.

"Candice, I know it doesn't seem that way now, but everything is going to get better." She said, careful not to use the phrase _'everything is going to be okay'_ , because she knew all too well that it may not be, and she wanted to be straight with the poor girl.

"How the fuck to you figure?!" Candice said through terrified tears as Max finished dressing and bandaging up her injured arm.

"Because, there is a way you can protect yourself, and we're going to show you how." Nancy replied.

* * *

"What a day!" Neil said, it was almost nine at night by the time they finally arrived home.

"Tell me about it, I just want to take a nice, hot shower and go to bed." Nancy said as they dropped their bags at the door.

"I However, recall a certain someone telling me earlier when we were so _rudely_ interrupted, that we would finish what they started later." He mentioned casually.

Nancy stopped halfway to the bathroom and turned around to face him.

"Oh, is that right? And remind me again, what exactly did I start?" She quipped, smirking as she crossed her arms expectantly in front of her.

"Something I haven't been able to get out of my mind all day." He said as he slowly traversed the distance between them, Nancy held her ground, her arms still crossed in front of her.

"What about all that talk about how we should abstain because it might be harmful to the baby?" She countered in a playful challenge as she took a step backwards.

"Yeah … I asked the doctor at your last appointment about that, he said that everything was going normally, and there was no need to abstain any longer." He replied.

"You actually _asked_ the doctor?!" Nancy replied with an amused laugh as she imagined that conversation going down.

"Well … I'm sure it's not the _first_ time he's been asked that question, and I wanted to make sure it would be safe to … you know." Neil replied bashfully as his face reddened.

"You mean have sex?" Nancy replied bluntly, and had to bite back a laugh at Neil's expression as his face suddenly turned fire engine red.

"Uhhh … yeah." He replied, his face still red as could be.

"It's very intriguing to me that someone could be so bashful when they're _talking_ about sex, but not bashful at _all_ when it comes to the act itself." She said with a laugh.

"You are right about one thing …" he trailed off as he stepped close to her, leaving no distance between them. he cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs gently caressing the sensitive skin of her jaw, his gentle caress sent bolts of excitement to places she didn't even know were connected to her face and she shivered involuntarily.

"Now, what do you say we have that shower, together?" He whispered intimately.

"Sure … but not before I have a little _fun_ with you, first." She said coyly as she began unbuttoning his shirt at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Oh Nancy … why must you torture me so?" He moaned.

"Because, it's more _fun_ that way." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck kissed him.

* * *

 _Notes: I know, I know, there is a lot of fluff, you were warned that there would be … LOL._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So what is this … group therapy, or what?" Candice asked suspiciously as she looked around the darkened room.

"Yes, and no; but before I explain, I think we all should go around and properly introduce ourselves." Nancy said as she started with the boy to her left.

"Well … my name is Brett Sanderson, and I'm here because I tried to … you know …" he trailed off as he made a slicing motion across his wrists.

"I'm Candice, and I'm here because my family thinks I'm nuts." Candice said, not even trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.

"I'm Rodger, and my night terrors got so bad that my parents dumped me off here and never came back." He said bitterly.

"My name is Otis, and same story, my shit got too real for my parents to handle." He said.

"Yep, same here." Twins Greg and Peter echoed.

"Okay … what if I told you that I know who's been tormenting you, and that you can learn how to fight him?" Nancy said.

Brett snorted disbelievingly. "Yeah right, lady. You must be high on some of those drugs you prescribe." He said, the other kids chuckled.

Nancy ignored him and leaned forward in her chair. "His face is horribly burned, he wears a dirty red and green sweater, a brown hat, and he wears a glove with knives on his right hand. How am I doing so far?" She quipped.

The kids were stunned, they looked to each other, speechless.

"How … how did you …" Brett trailed off.

"Because I've fought him before, when I was your age, he attacked and killed my friends, and he almost killed me. Not too long ago, we taught a group of kids just like you how to fight him. If you're willing, I can show you all, too." Nancy said.

Some of the kids looked at each other skeptically.

"Hey … if it'll show me how to keep this asshole away from me, I'm all for it. So … when do we start?" Candice said.

"Okay … How about we start now?" Neil said as flipped the pendulum's light on, pulled it back and let it go.

"Clear your mind of all thoughts; focus on the pendulum swinging back and forth. You feel your eyelids getting heavier, until you can no longer hold them open …"

A moment passed and everyone's eyes snapped open.

"Well? Did it work?" Candice asked.

"There's only one way to find out; think back to your most wonderful dreams, what could you do in them?" Nancy said.

"It's been so long since I've had a good dream, I don't know if I can even remember." Brett said sadly.

"I remember, in my best dreams, I was a martial arts master." Roger said as he did an impressive roundhouse kick, though he landed awkwardly and lost his balance.

"I guess I'm out of practice." He said sheepishly.

"Well … that's what we're all here for, to practice." Nancy said with a smile.

"In my dreams, I've got powers like Superman!" Otis said as he lifted the coffee table up with one hand and twirled it on his finger like a basketball.

"In our dreams, we're shape shifters!" The twins, Greg and Peter said as they transformed into a pair of wolves.

Nancy turned to Candice and Brett. "What about you two, don't you remember what you used to be in your best dreams?"

"Well … when I was young, I used to dream that I was invisible … but I haven't done it in so long … I don't know." Brett said.

"Come on, dude, _try_ … don't you want to be rid of this jerk?" Otis said as he put a hand on Brett's shoulder.

Brett squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated with all his might, and when he opened them, everyone was looking at him, shocked.

Nancy dug into her purse, pulled out a small mirror and held it up in front of him. "Sweet!" He exclaimed as he looked into it and seeing nothing where his reflection should be.

"What about you, Candice?" Neil asked.

"Well … I don't know …" She said as she rubbed her arms uncomfortably.

"Come on, Candice … if we can do it … _you_ can do it." Brett said as the other kids joined in with a chant of _'do it!'_ over and over again.

Candice could feel it building … the power.

"I said I don't want to!" she shrieked at Brett, who along with Neil, Nancy and the other kids were blasted back against the wall by a powerful Psychokinetic blast.

"Nancy … are you okay?" Neil asked, very worried as he gingerly helped her up, but Nancy didn't acknowledge him, she instead hurried back over to Candice, who's eyes had a wild, almost feral look to them.

"You have telekinetic powers!" Nancy said as she cautiously approached her, still slightly breathless.

"I have _what_?!" Candice replied, still struggling to reign in her notoriously short temper.

"Telekinesis is a real, tangible psychic ability, Candice. If you can learn how to control it when you're awake, when you sleep, you'll be a force to be reckoned with." Neil explained to her.

Just then, the shrill ring of the timer made them all jump and the next thing they knew, they were waking up in their chairs.

"What the hell …! Did … did we just dream all that or was it real?" Brett said as he looked himself over.

"It seemed so … _real_!" Greg said.

"It was both." Nancy interjected with a smile.

"Now as of tonight, we are going to be taking all of you off all dream suppressants, because unfortunately they suppress the good dreams as well as the bad ones. But we also won't force anyone to practice if they don't want to, it's your choice." Neil said.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I want to fight! I don't want to spend my life being afraid of this guy." Brett said, the other kids nodded.

"Alright then, we'll start tonight." Neil said.

* * *

Nancy slid into the passenger side of Neil's car with a grimace, one that didn't go unnoticed.

"Nancy, are you sure you're okay?" Neil asked as he slid in behind the wheel.

"Yeah … just sore, that's all." Nancy replied as she offered him what she hoped was a convincing smile.

Neil didn't answer, he simply put the car into reverse and off they went.

"Neil … this isn't the way home." Nancy said shrewdly.

"That's because we aren't going home, we're going to the hospital." Neil said pointedly.

"Neil I told you I'm …"

"… Fine … I know … but what if you're _not_? You don't just have yourself to think about anymore Nancy and I wish you would let me help you being as I'm half the reason we're in this predicament to begin with." He said as he grinned wryly at her, and she laughed in spite of herself.

"Okay … you win." She said as she held up her hands in defeat

* * *

"Well?" Neil asked anxiously as the Doctor returned.

"Nothing, everything is seems to be okay." She said.

" _Seems_ to be?" Neil echoed worriedly.

"Yes, the baby is showing a little more brain activity than is normally seen in the first trimester, but other than that, your baby is developing normally, and perfectly healthy. We were even able to tell the sex, only if you want to know, of course." She replied with a kind smile.

"Thanks … but we'd rather wait and find out the old fashioned way, if you don't mind." Nancy interjected as Neil opened his mouth to speak.

"No problem, it's quite normal for parents to want to wait and find out at the birth." She said as she excused herself from their room.

Out of the blue, Nancy turned and gave Neil a hearty smack.

"Hey …! What in the hell was that for?!" He exclaimed indignantly as he rubbed his arm.

"THAT … was for almost ruining the surprise." She said as she waggled her finger accusingly at him.

"But … don't you want to know what we're having?" Neil said, unable to keep the disappointment completely out of his voice.

"Sure, I'll find out when it's born." She replied with a wry smile.

"But this way I won't know what color to paint the baby's room, or which clothes to get or …" He trailed off as he began pacing to and fro in front of her.

Nancy grabbed his hand as he passed by her. "Neil … darling, don't _worry_ we'll pick neutral colors for the baby's room, and as for clothes? They have unisex baby clothes, too. We'll make it work, trust me." She said as he helped her into her coat.

"You're nervous." She said, playfully poking him as they stepped into the elevator.

"Of _course_ I'm nervous! This is a big thing! This is a HUGE thing! Plus we have Freddy to worry about." He said as the elevator dinged and the doors opened up to the hospital's parking lot.

Nancy suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"More brain activity than normal …" she said to herself.

"Oh my god! He's been using my baby's dreams! That's how he's been getting to the kids even with the dream suppressants!" Nancy said in realization.

"So … what does that mean?" Neil asked.

"It means that I'm going to have to do battle with him … again." Nancy said, her expression set.

* * *

 _Notes: Everyone, I am so sorry for not updating sooner. I have been crazy busy with school finals and the holidays, plus my mother had surgery, so I have been helping her while she recovers. I am also sorry this chapter was so short, I had intended it to be longer, it just felt right to end it here._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Nancy …" Neil tried to interject as she flitted about her office, pulling book after book about dreams off the shelves.

"Nancy, _stop_!" Neil said as he stepped into her path and caught her by the shoulders.

Nancy's shoulders sagged as she blew out a weary sigh as she met his worry stricken gaze, the look that materialized on his face told him she looked as exhausted as she felt.

"That bastard is using our baby, to hurt people, Neil!" she said as hot angry tears stung her eyes.

"I know … I just … " he trailed off, at a loss for words.

"This isn't even about me being the Dream Master anymore; Freddy is hurting my baby … _our_ baby! He's scared and alone, and he thinks his mother doesn't care enough about him to help him!" She said as tears of anguish streamed down her face.

"I never told you, but I keep having this dream about a boy, he's always scared and alone, and he keeps saying that he doesn't think his mother cared much about him. That's _our_ child, Neil; and he thinks we don't care about him!"

"Okay, Nancy. It's okay. But there's _no way_ you're doing this alone." He said as he cupped her face in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes.

"But …" She began

"My mind's made up. Besides, every superhero needs a sidekick, right?" He quipped as he grinned at her, and she laughed in spite of herself.

"Well … let's get started." She said as she checked her office door to make sure it was locked, then she reached under her desk and brought out the pendulum.

"Wait … what about the kids?" He asked.

"I'm not bringing the kids in this time." She said.

"What? Why?" He replied.

"Because it's too dangerous. Look how many we lost last time, if he uses our baby to pull them in, we'll deal with it. Remember, Freddy gets his power from fear, if no one fears him, he'll have no power over us." She said.

"Yeah … but how do you tell our _kid_ that?" Neil quipped.

Nancy blew out a sigh. "That's going to be the hard part, but at least he won't be able to draw power from us or the kids anymore." She replied as she closed the curtains and started the pendulum.

"Ready?" she asked as she took his hand.

"As much as I'll ever be." He replied.

"Alright, then." She said as she made sure the door was locked and turned off the lights.

"Nancy, wait … I want you to know that I love you … and if we see the other side of this … I want you to marry me." He said, speaking quickly, lest he lose his nerve.

Nancy stopped and turned to him.

"Wha … what did you say?" She said, she wanted to make sure that he did, in fact just propose to her.

"I said … when this is all over … will you marry me?" He asked again, this time with more confidence in his voice.

For a split second, her heart leapt with joy, but her joy was quickly quelled by realization and reason.

"I can't marry you … but _not_ because I don't love you … it's because I _do_ … more than you'll ever know." She explained quickly as his face melted into a look of despair and pain.

She took hold of his hands. "You might think you were hiding it, but I've seen the stress, and the pressure this whole ordeal has put on you. There is no way I would let you sign your life away to … this." She said as she gestured to the pendulum.

"I thought we already _had_ this discussion! I told you that I was in it for the long haul." He said, his feelings of hurt and anger took demonic possession over his tongue and it caused his words to take on a venom that he didn't intend.

Tears welled up in Nancy's eyes as she averted her gaze to the floor, and he felt like someone stabbed him through his very soul with an icicle.

"I'm sorry I'm … I'm just trying to protect you … from this." She said as she gestured around her. "I know it'll hurt at first … for _both_ of us, but in the grand scheme of things, it's the best choice." She said, the words were so painful to say that she almost choked on them.

"Hell no … you're not getting rid of me that easily, I know that's _not_ what you really want, it's just your fear talking. Do you think that you're the only one who's scared? I used to think like Carver and Sims, that all that was going on with these kids was caused by some kind of psychosis, that there was something _wrong_ with the minds of these kids. Then in you came, and showed me how wrong we _all_ were." Neil said as he stepped close and put his arms around Nancy.

"I have always believed that people come into our lives for a reason. I never told you this, but when I first met you, I was smitten. It didn't take long before I was falling in love, I tried to fight it, but I quickly realized that resistance was futile; whether you meant to or not, you had me very well snared." He said with a grin, Nancy laughed in spite of herself as she wiped away her tears.

"I didn't realize I was that much of a Femme Fatale." She replied, still laughing.

"When it comes to me, you might as well have been, and when I realized that you felt the same way I did … I felt like the luckiest bastard on the planet, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming the whole thing." He said.

"I felt something when I first met you, too. I can't really explain it … it was almost like flicking a lighter inside my soul. I just … felt this powerful _attraction_ to you that I had never felt with anyone else, and it was impossible to resist. Hence why this happened, it's not like me to be that irresponsible." she said as she put her hand on her stomach.

They fell into a comfortable silence before Nancy spoke again.

"Yes … yes I will marry you when this is all over." She said suddenly.

Neil's eyes snapped up to meet hers, and his heart swelled so much that he was afraid it would bust out of his chest.

"Seriously?!" he exclaimed.

"Seriously." She echoed with a laugh at his hilarious expression, he replied by pulling her against him and kissing her passionately.

Their feelings for one another were like static electricity; it sparked and crackled between them whenever they were in the same space together. Most of the time, they were able to fend it off in the name of professionalism, but whenever they so much as kissed or touched each other, all bets were off.

He kissed her again, desire took full possession of both of them and before they knew what was happening, he was pushing Nancy up against her desk as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"Neil … we can't here … what if someone catches us!" She said, not really meaning it as he caressed her neck.

"Would you think any less of me if I said that at this point, I really didn't _care_?" He whispered heatedly into her ear.

With everything that had been happening, both in their personal lives, and with the kids, that hadn't had any alone time in almost three weeks, and the spring that was their sexual tension had been coiled far too tightly for far too long. Something had to give sometime, and it looked like that time was going to be now.

' _Freddy's just going to have to wait.'_ She thought to herself as he claimed her mouth with his once more.

* * *

"We can't make a habit of this; if we get caught Carver will have our jobs, we'll lose everything we've both worked our whole lives for." Nancy said as they dressed.

"Maybe it would be a blessing in disguise? We've talked about opening our own practice, and if we did, we wouldn't have to sneak around." He said with a suggestive wink as he finished buttoning his shirt.

She considered his idea; it would be nice not to have to hide their relationship, and while she loved her position at the Westin Hills, she knew they couldn't stay forever, because it offered no potential for advancement for either of them and soon they would have a baby to consider.

"It's going to take money …" She began.

"I have money … I have savings I've been paying into a little at a time since college, I had plans to open my own practice I just … never did it because I never had the push I needed … until now." He said as smiled pointedly at her.

She smiled. "Then it's settled, once we deal with Freddy, we'll do it." she replied.

"But Freddy's first, and we'll do it _together_." He said as he held out his hand.

"Together." She echoed him as she placed her hand in his as she pulled the pendulum back and let it go.

* * *

"No matter what happens, we _have_ to stick together; we can't let him separate us." Nancy said as they walked forward, arm in arm; it was so dark that they couldn't even see where they were, the darkness had a thickness to it, almost like it was alive as they pushed through it.

Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance.

"Should we go? It's probably a trap." Neil said.

"Oh I am _sure_ it is, but we've got no other choice, just stay alert and be ready." Nancy replied in a hushed voice.

Sure enough, the light at the end of the tunnel led to her old house.

"What _is_ it about this house?" Neil asked.

"This house is where he lived growing up, so it holds some kind of importance to him." Nancy replied.

"But you mentioned he was abused by his foster father growing up." Neil replied with a pensive expression the psychologist side of his mind was working.

"I know, it's puzzling because this place represents what I'm sure was a very unpleasant and painful time in his life. The only way I can make sense of it is from a psychology perspective; that maybe he sees this as kind of the birthplace of what he became, and that's why it holds significance for him." Nancy explained as they walked up the crumbling steps to the front door, it swung open as she reached for it with a terrible groaning sound that made their blood run cold like ice in their veins.

They stepped across the threshold and stood in the foyer, waiting for their eyes to adjust, it was quiet … _too_ quiet. Nancy jumped and spun around as the front door slammed shut with a mighty crash that shook the whole house.

"He's close … take my hand and don't let go, no matter what!" Nancy hissed.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand in a crushing, painful grip.

"You know how long I've waited for you to say that to me, Nancy?" Freddy's voice growled into her ear from out of the darkness.

Nancy let out a reflexive scream and struggled against him, but his strong, painful grip was unrelenting.

"You've got a lot of nerve facing me on my home turf, bitch." Freddy said as Nancy's eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and his form slowly came into view. Dread suddenly filled her as she realized Neil was nowhere to be found.

"Neil! What have you done to him?! If you hurt him, I swear to god I'll make you regret it." Nancy said venomously.

Freddy's maniacal laughter filled the entire house and echoed off the walls.

"You talk a big game, but you're still that scared little girl waiting for daddy to come and save you." Freddy said, his lips peeling back into a sinister smile. Nancy threw him back through the wall into the next room with a blast of white hot energy.

"That's where you're wrong, Kruger, I've been honing _my_ game for a long time too, bitch." She said as he staggered to his feet.

"True … but I've been honing _mine_ longer." He replied with a menacing grin as he advanced on her.

* * *

Neil came to, his head splitting with pain, he touched his hand gingerly to his forehead and came back with blood as he scrambled to his feet and tried to get his bearings on where he was.

"You cowardice son of a bitch! If anything happens to her, somehow, some way, I'll make you regret it!" Be bellowed into the seemingly empty space as he frantically began to look for a way out.

A small boy suddenly appeared in front of him, causing him to jump back with a startled shout.

"W … who the hell are you?!" Neil said breathlessly as he clutched his chest.

"Come on, we don't have much time!" The boy said, ignoring his question as he grabbed Neil's hand and pulled him forward.

"Wait … where are we going?" Neil said.

"We have to help her, she can't beat him alone!"

Instinctively, Neil knew the boy was talking about Nancy.

"Lead the way." He said.

* * *

Freddy backhanded Nancy viciously across the face, knocking her off her feet.

"You won't kill me … you _can't_ … because I have something you need." She said breathlessly as she wiped her bleeding mouth.

Suddenly, Neil appeared, accompanied by a boy Nancy recognized as the one from her dreams. They rushed to her side and helped her to her feet.

Freddy's leering grin faltered a little as the three of them stood side by side.

"When you get to hell Freddy, tell them the Gordon family sent you." Nancy said as they hit him with a combined blast of energy, Freddy's scream reverberated through the entire dream world as he was vaporized and the poor souls of the kids he had killed were released.

As the light from the blast slowly dissipated, Nancy turned to the boy, who suddenly threw his arms around her waist.

"I don't want you to leave!" He sobbed, his voice muffled against her.

"Hey … this isn't goodbye; we'll be together again before you know it." Nancy said as she stroked his curly brown hair.

The boy pulled back to look at her as he wiped his face on the sleeve of his gown.

"You promise?" He said in a small voice, Nancy smiled as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"With all of my heart." She replied.

* * *

 _Notes: I know that's kind of an abrupt ending, but if I did not end it there, it would have been insanely long._


End file.
